Writing an Essay in History

History paper got you down? Try a few quick hints to get that A on your assignment: Understand the period your piece is about Knowing when and where your assignment took place is essential, and understanding the culture and politics of that time are important too. Utilize Google and Wikipedia to just get a quick idea of what the big themes, trends, and motivating factors were of that time. It only takes a couple of minutes, but will make you feel a lot more comfortable in your essay writing. Use those primary sources Yeah, every professor tells you to use primary sources, but its really not that hard. Use Google and resources like Project Gutenberg, Wikipedia, government websites, and university websites to find those primary sources. The more you use, the better your paper is, and the more you will impress your professor. Present arguments, not just facts Anyone can look up the dates that a person lived or ruled. Anyone can look up the basics of major battles. What you need to do in your paper is present a distinct argument about something, and present that in a thesis. Do you disagree with an authors argument? What do you think about a controversial issue in history? Do you think there is a better way to interpret the actions of those involved in the events? Do you think that your topic is misrepresented in history? Ask a question with some bite, dont just ask what happened then? Know your authors Are you getting a lot of your info from one source? Are you presenting the argument of a specific author? Take the time and look that author up. What was his background? When did he write? What biases may he have had? Who was his audience? Ask yourself these questions, and think about how that affects that authors view of history. If you think it is significant enough, include it in your paper. For example, you could say, we must keep in mind that AUTHOR was from the USSR, and so may have a biased view of Arab nationalism, but this bias also brings up an interesting historiographic point. Understanding where your sources fit into history will help you write a better history paper. Dont overdo the dates You know how you hate memorizing dates? Well, readers hate reading them over and over again. State important dates once, and then be confident your reader knows when you are talking about. There is nothing more frustrating than reading that someone is a 19th century leader repeatedly when you already said he ruled from 1823-1875.

The Character of Montresor in The Cask of Amontillado Essay

When looked at for the first time, Montresor in Edgar Allan Poe’s The Cask of Amontillado may seem disturbing. Montresor has plans to murder a man, Fortunato, for insulting him and plans on doing so by walling him up in the catacombs under his home. Montresor devises a clever plan that will leave Fortunato clueless as to his intensions. Upon a closer look, this character is admirable. Montresor carries out his plan successfully without being caught. He does this by using traits that are commendable at the very least. Montresor is Poe’s most admirable character because he is patient, extremely confident, and very calculated. Montresor is admirable because throughout the story, he is very patient. In the beginning of the story,†¦show more content†¦He has waited long enough and now is the time. Poe’s Montresor is admirable because he is also incredibly confident. Before he starts on his journey with Fortunato, Montresor confidently asks Fortunato if he wou ld like for him to get another person to taste the wine. Fortunato replies, â€Å"Luchresi cannot tell Amontillado from Sherry† (1442), (Luchresi being the other wine connoisseur). Throughout their walk through the catacombs, Montresor repeatedly asks Fortunato if he would like to go back. Fortunado, being conceded about his abilities to tell a good wine from an imitation, thoughtlessly agrees to continue to go deeper into the catacombs with Montresor, even though he is sick and seems to be get worse as they go further and further into the dark, damp catacombs. Montresor even asks if he would like to go back because of his health. Fortunato says it â€Å"is a mere nothing† (1443) and they continue. A gesture is made by Fortunato pertaining to him being a mason. He asks if Montresor is a mason and Montresor replies, â€Å"Yes, yes, yes, yes† (1444). He then holds up a trowel. Fortunato laughs about it but fails to wonder why Montresor has a trowel under his coat. Montresor hints to Fortunato in these subtle ways and Fortunato continues to be unsuccessful in being alarmed by them. His confidence is so great that Montresor asks Fortunato if heShow MoreRelatedEdgar Allan Poe s The Cask Of Amontillado1232 Words   |  5 Pagesabout the text â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado† by Edgar Allan Poe, some sources will be used to support the thesis statement, which is â€Å"The author uses irony in the text to illustrate the murder of Fortunado by Montresor, who seeks salvation through death†. Also, there is going to be an analysis on the irony found in the text in relation with the story. To support this thesis, I am going to use some examples from some sources such as â€Å"Literary analysis: Irony in The Cask of Amontillado by Amelia TibbettRead MoreThe Masque of the Red Death vs. the Cask of Amontillado1564 Words   |  7 PagesDeath vs. The Cask of Amontillado â€Å"The Masque of the Red Death† and â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado† written by Edgar Allan Poe are somewhat different. The major themes of these stories differ significantly, as does the emphasis placed on each character which dealt more to The Cask of Amontillado† than to â€Å"The Masque of the Red Death† Regardless of this, the stories are similar in many ways. For instance, both belong to the literacy of the gothic genre, it shared a small theme, and the characters shared aRead MoreLiterary Aspects Of The Cask Of Amontillado And Hemingway s Hills Like White Elephants1520 Words   |  7 Pagesdevelopment and use of characters. Edgar Allen Poe and Ernest Hemingway are two of the best writers at developing intriguing characters that serve many purposes, and have subsequently been analyzed for decades. Poe’s â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado† and Hemingway’s â€Å"Hills Like White Elephants† are two prime examples of brilliant ch aracter development and usage. Poe and Hemingway develop and utilize their characters in varying ways. For example, while Poe’s characters in â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado† have symbolic firstRead MoreAnalysis Of Edgar Allan Poe s The Cask Of Amontillado 945 Words   |  4 PagesDenita Kumar Michael Frangos ENG 112 September 3, 2014 Revenge and Irony A friendship is based on trust, but do we truly know anyone in the way we think? In â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado† written by Edgar Allan Poe, a man named Fortunato is about to find out what kind of ‘friend’ Montresor really is. Montresor shows himself to be friendly with Fortunato, but deep down he feels nothing but hate for him. In different ways, both of these men are proud and appear upper class, yet both have faults whichRead MoreLiterary Analysis Of The Cask Of Amontillado 1493 Words   |  6 PagesLiterature: American I Dr. Julia Pond 12 October 2017 The Cask of Amontillado The Cask of Amontillado is a tale of terror written by Edgar Allen Poe. This short story is from the point of view from Montresor’s memory. The setting of this story is in a small unnamed European city, at a local carnival and then at the catacombs under Montresor’s home, around duck. The brief synopsis of this story is about the revenge that the Montresor, the antagonist and narrator, wants against Fortunato, a wineRead MoreThe Cask of Amontillado by Edgar Allan Poe Essay1693 Words   |  7 PagesThe Cask of Amontillado by Edgar Allan Poe In The Cask of Amontillado, Edgar Allan Poe uses several different artistic choices in the construction of the story. He manipulates the story to be the way he wants it to be by using the point of view of the narrator, the setting, and a common monotonous sentiment throughout. Poe is successful in maintaining a spirit of perverseness that is prevalent in most of his works. The point of view plays a very important role in influencing the readers perceptionRead MoreSituational Irony The Cask Of Amontillado Essay1034 Words   |  5 Pagesâ€Å"The Cask of Amontillado† is a unique story in many ways. There are many literary elements present throughout this story. One of these literary elements is irony. Irony can influence the portrayal of a character in a story. Irony can also add intrigue and excitement to the plot of the story. In Edgar Allen Poe’s story, he uses the literary element of irony to add to the plot and influence how the characters are portrayed throughout his story. One of the first examples of irony Poe utilizes in hisRead MoreThe Cask of Amontillado by Edgar Allan Poe836 Words   |  3 Pagesqualities in the story. In the story many things are used as symbols such as the actual cask of amontillado, the trowel, the jester costume and the setting in which there is two in the story. Another literary technique used significantly in the story is irony. Irony is the expression of ones meaning by using language that normally signifies the opposite. In the short story â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado,† Montresor a very troubled man who plans to seek revenge on another man named Fortunato for humiliatingRead MoreThe Theme of Revenge in â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado† Essay1629 Words   |  7 PagesEdgar Allan Poe’s â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado† is a frightening and entertaining short story about the severe consequences that result from persistent mockery and an unforgiving heart. Poe’s excellent use of Gothicism within the story sets the perfect tone for a dark and sinister plot of murder to unfold. â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado† simply overflows with various themes and other literary elements that result from Poe’s Gothic style of writing. Of these various themes, one that tends to dominant the storyRead MoreCompare And Contrast The Cask Of Amontillado And A Poison Tree1174 Words   |  5 Pagesâ€Å"I vowed revenge.† (Poe 1) Revenge plays one of the biggest role s in The Cask of Amontillado and A Poison Tree. Edgar Allen Poe is the author of The Cask Of Amontillado, and William Blake is the poet who wrote A Poison Tree. The authors Poe and Blake use conflict and setting to convey the theme that suppressed anger sometimes induces revenge which can result in explosive violence. The setting in A Cask of Amontillado and in A Poison Tree is used to convey the theme and reveals the chain of suppressed

Killing the Bear Free Essays

Judith Minty’s story, â€Å"Killing the Bear,† is the about a woman who commits murder against her sexual self. Although, she wants to move on with life, she realizes that she must kill this bear in order to be a peace with herself. While I was reading, I chose to focus on the two aspects of the psyche, specifically id and the ego. We will write a custom essay sample on Killing the Bear or any similar topic only for you Order Now The id, the bestial nature of the bear, in the woman’s life, and the ego, the real world, represented by the woman’s cabin. It is always hot for this woman. The summer heat was an all-consuming, sexual tension inside her. She lives only for the summer, marking each day, but the rest of the year, and even the rest of her life, it means nothing to her. At the end of the summer, she immediately plans for the next summer. Although in denial of her own heat, her sexuality, she seems, at the same time, to live for it. I noticed that during the summer, she lived in an isolated cabin, the woman builds herself a rational world, hammering and painting on her space. This real world is disturbed by the presence of a wild bear. When she first sees the bear, he is distant, frightening, like the awakening of sensuality in a young woman. He scares her a little and â€Å"her hands lift to cover her breasts,† a somewhat sexual response to the bear’s presence, suggesting displacement of her sensual urges on the bear. Downplaying her fear of the bear, she intellectualizes the bear, recounting facts and stories she has heard about bears. However, even during this intellectualization, she reflects on her animal nature and its destruction. Her memory of her mother burning her stuffed bear mirrors, in a roundabout way, her current situation and her ultimate solution to the live bear’s presence. At the end of the stuffed bear story, she observes that her mother misspoke when she said, â€Å"I’m sorry for burning the animal in you.† Although, the mother â€Å"killed† the woman’s childhood beast, the adult woman is facing the same animal, the living beast in herself, again. When I was reading, I could tell that her sexuality, the bear, grows bold and more insistent, threatening her rational world, the woman’s fear grows. She buys a gun for protection, snapping at the flirting clerk that â€Å"she didn’t need a man† as she pays for it. She denies her baser needs and desires, yet at the same time, she wants to seek out and dominate her sensuality, to go â€Å"hunting† for her beast. Ironically, she chooses to use a gun, a violent phallic symbol, to kill her sexuality. â€Å"Killing the Bear† is a great example of how an author can use the real world symbolically to mirror the inner psychological world of human beings. In the story, the natural world which threatens the woman reflects all the baser elements that people usually try to internalize, control, or sometimes reject. However, in the story, the woman’s barriers against her nature, her â€Å"civilization†, are not enough. She can never quite tame the beast within. How to cite Killing the Bear, Essay examples